Tuesday, April 07, 2015

Williamstown

On a reasonably fine day when there is little wind where better to go than Williamstown for brunch. The town began its life as the major port in the Colony of Victoria (that would be wrong. We would have been Colony of New South Wales then) before Melbourne took over, so it is quite historic with some of its streets lined with Victorian buildings. Williamstown was even considered for the status of capital city of Victoria but it lacked fresh water whereas Melbourne with its Yarra River did not.

Nelson Place, where you can sit and look out to a foreshore reserve and then the bay, is place tourists want to be and we are no different.

It was a little quiet when we were there for reasons I have now forgotten. It is only a twenty minute drive from home or the city, so it is very easy to get to and you can also catch the train which we have done in the past.

I must return to get a better photo of the wonderful art deco building.

There is a stationary ex naval war ship permanently moored at Gem Pier, HMAS Castlemaine.

We are now around at the boat ramp where warm water is released from the occasionally used gas fired power station nearby and the waters are called The Warmies. The warm water attracts fish and hence fisher folk. The water in the foreground is an inlet where the warm water is released. Beyond is the shipping channel leading to the mouth of the Yarra River and Melbourne's port facilities.

From Melbourne you travel to Williamstown by car using the West Gate Bridge, seen in this photo. The bridge needed to be high enough to allow container shipping to pass below.

When the power station is operating flame can be seen burning at the top of the chimney. Obviously not today though.

The boat ramp area has been nicely redeveloped in a practical manner for launching boats.

At quite a speed a pilot boat was travelling along the channel out into the bay. All large ships to enter Port Phillip with its very narrow and treacherous entrance must have a pilot on board to oversee the navigation and pilots board ships about ten kilometres out to sea from the entrance, known as the The Rip, and a rip in the ship hull is what may happen if the navigation is wrong.

We love making little forays out such as this trip if yours to Williamstown. Not too far to travel but a completely different environment for the day. It is just the thing, we find, to allow one to be a tourist in one's own country and sample the many delights that are on offer.

Williamstown looks to be a delightful place with so much of interest both on land and at sea. The Art Deco building is a delight and we wonder if there are more in this style and what was its purpose.

When my beloved first set up practice in Melbourne, he was lured to the western suburbs since there weren't enough services in the west back then. Some of the suburbs in the west were a bit ordinary, but Williamstown was always a delight. Nelson Place and the beach are great places to relax after a hard day's work!

My public diary, not my private one. I live in a highrise apartment building in inner Melbourne. My interests are varied but top of the list are old buildings, history and public transport. You will find plenty of personal experiences to read in my blog too. Just be aware I am not an historian, amateur or otherwise. While I make some effort to be accurate, I don't do proper methodical research so I advise you check all details on your own behalf should you wish to quote me. Your comments are very welcome, but try to be nice to my fragile yet overblown ego. I enjoy receiving email. You can find my eddress in my complete profile.